Continuing our commentary series exploring different European perspectives ahead of the 2026 NPT Review Conference, Carmen Wunderlich writes that Germany’s current policy towards the NPT reflects not only a change in tone but also a gradual shift in priorities towards pragmatic measures such as risk reduction and confidence-building, while multilateral disarmament seems to have lost political salience.
Following the recent US–Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent regional escalation, Europe’s response has been mixed. As the conflict widens, we ask members of the ELN Network how they assess Europe’s approach so far and what role European governments should be playing.
Nuclear weapons aren’t going anywhere, and the way we manage them can and must keep evolving. Today’s security environment is more complex than during the Cold War: more nuclear-armed states, faster decision-making technologies, and fewer treaties providing guardrails. The good news? Proven tools exist to reduce risk, from fail-safe mechanisms to dialogue between adversaries, and they don’t all require perfect trust or total agreement. This animation explains both the challenges and the credible paths forward.
Former and serving senior officials, military leaders, and experts from across the Euro-Atlantic region call for strengthened fail-safe measures to prevent accidental nuclear use.
In a new study testing six leading AI models, YGLN member Ihor Samokhodskyi found that the language in which users ask AI chatbots questions about Russia’s war in Ukraine affects the likelihood that answers contain disinformation or propaganda. Samokhodskyi writes that this is a cognitive warfare problem that shapes how millions of users understand contested events. Europe needs to take three policy steps to address this.
In May, States Parties to the NPT will meet for the 11th Review Conference under difficult circumstances. While European support for and leadership in the NPT is more urgent than ever, it could be complicated by diverging priorities among European states. In the first of our commentary series exploring different European perspectives, YGLN member Federica Dall’Arche reflects on Italy’s perspective on the Treaty and its approach to the 2026 Review Conference. She writes that rather than focusing on ambitious normative breakthroughs, priority should be given to preserving the Treaty’s role as a stabilising framework.